Wednesday, September 30, 2015

A little bit of a late weekend recap, but its only mid week so I'm deeming it still appropriate.

Friday evening Brandon and I had a stay-at-home date night filled with re-watching Limitless (in preparation for the tv series - I give most new series a chance) and a little fire outside. It was a super clear evening and it wasn't too cold yet so some favourite songs, a cozy blanket and a couple of beers started off our weekend on a great foot!

Saturday was mostly lounging and chores. In the evening, we went to see Black Mass with Brandon's parents. I've always loved a good mob movie, expecially with Johnny Depp at the helm but if my opinion counts for anything, I'd suggest making this a home watch. It was a cool inside view of a pretty notorias kingpin in the 80's but it was kind of anit-climatic and doesn't require the movie theatre vibe.

Sunday Brandon and I went on an adventure downtown! We started at the Vancouver Antique Market, which is pretty much the coolest place ever. Any rustic, industrial or antique furniture lovers should absolutely check it out.

We ended up finding a piece for our living room, to house the electronics and pretty things but i'll show you it when its installed and ready to be photographed :) After convincing ourselves that we didn't need everything in the store we decided to head out and find a cute lunch spot for some tasty grub and a few pints.

We ended up at Bier Craft on Commercial Drive and were lucky enough to get a table on the patio. It was perfect for people watching and coming up with fun fall plans. Days like this are truly my favourite. Good company, good food and no schedule make me a very happy weekender.Hope yours was a great as mine! What did you get up to?

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Oh how I love long weekends. Brandon and I opted for a low key one and it really helped recharge my batteries. Between relaxing, cleaning, organizing and gym sessions we managed to sneak in a quick date night.

Typically Brandon and I are pretty low key so a classic dinner and a movie is about as crazy as we get for nights out and this past Saturday was no exception. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at Famoso Pizza and then finally got to understand what all the buzz was about with Straight Outta Compton.

My opinion? It's definitely worth a watch simply for the pop culture references and to have a better understanding of a world that I honestly knew nothing about. NWA originated when I was just a baby but I obviously know who all the members are. That just goes to show how much impact these men had on the music industry. I mean I'm a country lovin' Canadian girl who can still be moved by intense but passionate Californian rap artists with something to say about their reality. Relatable? no but understandable? Yes.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Hair gel should be used sparingly, "hair fuzzies" are not the end of the world.

School and more importantly high school is such a fragment of time compared to the rest of your life. Have fun, make dumb choices, learn from those choices but don't let those years weigh too heavily on the person you become.

Hang out with people you actually like. I still don't understand why some people are "popular" and others are not. I know that you care a lot about being considered popular and NEED to hang out with those who will give you that status but making lasting relationships with people who share your interests is much more important.

Work on that project with that cute boy in English class... you might marry him someday ;)

Don't put your hobbies and interests on the backburner for fear of "missing out" on parties. You should totally go to the parties just don't make partying your only hobby and/or interest.

I want to say don't wear the dorinhas. But who am I kidding, you loved them and they gave you motivation to work hard so you could afford $100.00 jeans on your own.

Love yourself more than anyone or anything. These are the years in your life when you SHOULD be selfish.

Have more than one favourite bra....

Stay away from the drama. You will never get back the hours wasted on talking shit about other people.

Try to put yourself in other peoples shoes. You felt like you were struggling and I can guarantee that everybody else is too.

Don't listen to any of this. You are a teenager and you know everything already. Have fun, be safe and don't drink and drive!!

Friday, September 4, 2015

I love the internet. I love that you can find the answer to anything with just a few key strokes, that you can plan every facet of your life through so many outlets and that it has made our world incredibly small. One of the things I do not love about the internet is the bandwagon type mindset that it has created.

Somewhere between researching history projects and connecting with friends and family grew this monster of a gang mentality that I just do not understand. People are so quick to voice their opinion by simply clicking "share" on a post or article. I honestly wonder how many people actually read the whole thing or if they simply agree with the headline. It gets worse on publication websites where everything from politics to world affairs to lifestyle choices to celebrity gossip is being miscommunicated, extorted and slandered.

I understand, and believe me, appreciate the right of freedom of speech (hello, I'm standing on my soap box right now) but I'm just tired of the obvious lack of research most people do before they hop on whatever bandwagon is driving by that week.

For example, my Facebook and Instagram newsfeeds have a different trend monthly if not weekly. This week it is the refugees from Syria, prior to that it was Cecil the lion, Transgender Awareness, Bill Cosby, Ferguson etc, You get the point. ALL of these topics are IMPORTANT, do not get me wrong, I believe they should be talked about. My issue, is the intensity that these events have and their quick rise to "trending topics" the amount of times something is shared and commented on before they implode and are pushed aside for the next big issue.

And have you read through the comments on controversial topics? Holy moly. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but when you have to degrade someone by commenting on their appearance, race or religion to get your point across... c'mon people. I no longer consider your opinion warranted at that point.

My plea today is to simply read, educate yourself, form you own opinion and discuss (in a respectful way) all of these important issues. If you feel strongly about it, then share those articles, posts, photos and links with your friends and family, comment on a thread if you think your 2 cents are valid and respectful. And probably the most important, remember that if you want something to change in our world you have to be willing to be apart of it and support it for the long haul. They say Rome wasn't built in a day and no major advances globally were either. If you want to support a cause, you have to share the correct information and find other ways to make a change other than on the internet.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Finally, another installment of Home Renovations! Today I thought I'd show you our lovely main bath. This was by far our biggest transformation and what I was most excited and nervous about. Growing up in a family of interior designers (none professional but all should have been) and watching HGTV all day everyday, I felt comfortable picking out paint colours and accessories and planning the layout of a room. What I had no experience with was starting from scratch and picking out every single aspect of a space.

The Before:

Brandon brought this room to the studs as there was fear of water damage. So we really had a clean slate to deal with. I knew I wanted bright and airy but with a pop of colour. We don't have an en suite, so this bathroom is also where I get ready everyday, with that in mind I knew it was important to have sufficient storage.

I'm so proud of Brandon for laying every single tile in that room. I wont lie and say that it was super easy. There were a lot of late nights and even more swear words and crashing and banging than you can imagine. But he didn't give up and now it looks amazing.

The After

I am so in love with this space. Its so fresh and clean and everything turned out perfectly. Our amazing vanity is from Costco Online and our silver tree shower curtain is from Bouclair Home. We have always loved subway tiles and I'm so glad we chose the grey grout look. Another favourite is our tiled flooring. It's that tile that looks like wood. It's really nice on the feet and very easy to clean. This room is basically finished although I'm still looking for some artwork so let me know if you have any ideas on what to put on the walls.